“Eliza, you finally opened the door! Why did it take so long? Do you know how long I’ve been knocking?
“What happened? Are you hurt? I heard a cup crash and thought you passed out…” His voice wavered, eyes glistening, as if he might cry.
His barrage of questions only made my head spin. I pushed him back a couple of steps and covered my mouth.
“What are you doing here? I told you not to look for me. I’m not your possession! Can’t I take a sick day in peace?”
“I came to take care of you. I couldn’t just leave you home alone,” Julian said, pointing to the pile of food at the door, sounding almost pitiful as he stepped closer…
“Stay right there!”
I yelled in surprise, coughing hard from the effort.
“Eliza, don’t talk – just drink some water,” Julian said, darting to the dining table to pour me a glass.
“Julian, I told you not to come near me! Can’t you understand simple words?” My cough only aggravated my sore throat, making my tone more irritable.
“You need to drink water right now. We can talk later.” He paused, tightening his grip on the glass, then stubbornly took a step closer.
Why couldn’t he just take a hint?